Meridian Community College catcher Wade Wass, who was named a third-team All-American on Tuesday, added more NJCAA honors Wednesday.

    Wass, who led the Eagles with a .427 average, 23 home runs and 67 RBIs, was the South Central District winner of the Rawlings Big Stick Award. The award goes to the player that with the highest regular season batting average in that district.

    Wass was also drafted in the 13th round of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by Baltimore. However, the Pensacola, Fla.-native has decided to not sign with the Orioles organization, instead continuing his career at Alabama.

— Jamie Wachter

PREP BASKETBALL

Tullos headed to Cherokee, N.C.

    Legendary Choctaw Central girls basketball coach Willis Tullos told The Neshoba Democrat last week that he is headed to Cherokee, N.C., High School to coach boys basketball.

    “I have coached at Cherokee High School before,” Tullos told The Democrat. “Some of my former players are on the school board and they wanted me to come back. I’ll be coaching the children of my former players which I think is kind of neat.”

    Tullos, who led the Warriors to the Class 3A state tournament in Jackson each of the two seasons he was back at the school, was not renewed by Choctaw Central. After the Warriors lost in a state semifinal this year, he told reporters that his ouster was imminent.

    Tullos, a Philadelphia native, began his coaching career at Choctaw in 1966. After coaching football for several seasons, he moved to basketball. He has spent 26 seasons as a basketball coach, 25 coaching girls.

    That lone season of experience coaching boys basketball came in an earlier stint at Cherokee, where he worked from 1989 to 1993.

— Jamie Wachter